Refrigerator car flue arrangement



June 10, 1941. v. E. wlssi REFRIGERATOR CAR FLUE ARRANGEMENT Filed June 10, 1938 'blanket of com' air in Patented June 10, 1941 2,245,023 REFRIGERATOR CAR FLUE ARRANGEMENT Victor E. West, New

Standard Railway of Pennsylvania Kensington, Pa., assignor to Equipment Manufacturing Company, New Kensington, Pa.,

a corporation Application .lane 10, 1938, Serial No. 213,099

11 Claims.

The invention relates to refrigerator cars, and particularly to refrigerator cars having the refrigerant means adjacent the roof. In cars of this type, vertical flues are often associated with the walls and function to provide a path for the circulation of air. The air, after being cooled by contact with the refrigerant, falls by gravity through the above mentioned flues and then rises through the lading where it absorbs heat which is in turn absorbed by the melting of the refrigerant. In very cold weather it is necessary to heat the car. The means for heating may be placed under the rack which supports the lading and the circulation is similar to that when a refrigerant is used except that heat is added to the lading.

The dimensions to which a refrigerator car may be built are quite limited. The outside width is limited to a maximum because there is a limited clearance on the right-of-way of the railroads. The inside width is limited to a minimum because the lading is usually packed in standard size containers which can -be economically loaded only in cars having an inside width equal to or greater than some accepted dimension, frequently 83.

Since the inside temperature of a car is usually greater than or less than the outside temperature, the car must be insulated against heat flow through the walls. The insulating value of any substance is approximately proportional to its thickness, therefore, to increase the insulation is to increase the wall thickness and further impose upon already severely restricted inside and outside widths. This condition is further complicated by the necessity of associatingv with the wall iiues of considerable width through which air may circulate.

The wall of a refrigerator car usually comprises outer frame members having a sheathing secured thereto and inner frame members having a lining secured thereto. It is an object of this invention to position the aforementioned flues inside the wall between the frame members, and more particularly between the inner frame members, thus reducing the wall thickness without detracting from its insulating efliciency. It is a further object of the invention, by thus decreasing the wall thickness, to increase the inside width or decrease the outside width or both. y

It is another object of the invention to increase the insulating efficiency of the walls by using the the flue as insulation. This air has approximately the same temperature as that in the car and would serve very effectively to retard heat flow through the walls.

Another object of the invention is to reduce infiltration into the car. Freight trains now operate at speeds as high as sixty miles per hour and express trains even faster so that the air velocity, Vand hence the air pressure on the outside of the car, becomes quite high. This tends to force air from the outside through the walls. This, of course, is undesirable because the outside air is usually at a different temperature than the inside air. The insertion of iiues inside the wall would serve as a barrier to this flow of air, therefore, it is an object of the invention to increase the insulation eiciency of a car by using flues within a wall to reduce infiltration.

When the refrigerant used is one that forms a liquid upon melting the aforementioned flues also function to drain the liquid from the refrigerant container to the floor of the car from where it may be conveniently drained. 'This liquid, and also the cold air simultaneously flowing through the tendency when the car is traveling at high speed is for the air and Water to accumulate at the rear of the car. This would result in a deficiency of cold air and hence a higher temperature at the forward end of the car. 'I'he presence of most of the water at the rear of the car would not only tend to flood that end of the car, but would also detract from its refrigerating and linsulating value at the forward end. It is an object of this invention, therefore, to extend the side flues longitudinally of the car only between frame members, thus preventing the accumulation of air and liquid at the rear of the car with the detrimental results described above.'

In the drawing: Fig. 1 isa transverse section of a refrigerator car.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 3 shows an alternate construction.

The usual parts of a refrigerator car are shown in Fig. 1, such asfcenter sill 2; outside side sills 3 comprising a channel shaped element llwith an angle 5 secured thereto; outer sheathing 6; outer frame members 1; outer side plates 8; roof 9;

refrigerant containers I0; hatches Hf ceiling I2;V

inner side plates I3; subi-floor III; floor I5; gutter I6; cross members I1 (bolster, cross-bearer, or cross-tie) of the underframe; inner side sills I8 and insulation I9.

Inner frame members 25 comprise channel shaped members having inwardly projecting reflanges 26 and mailing strips 21 positioned in the flues, have inertia so that the 2 v 2,245,023 channels. The frame members 25 extend beextending between and secured to said frame tween and are secured to the inner side plates members, a portion of said sheet being spaced I3 and inner side sills 8. The lining 28 comprising preferably wood 29 and insulating board 30, such as celotex, is secured to the nailing strips 21. Insulated partitions 3| are positioned below the refrigerant containers I to provide passages 32 therebetween.

Air circulation in a car of this type is from the lading space 35 upwardly through the duct 36, and through the containers I0 where it is cooled by the refrigerant therein. The air then passes through the flues 37 to the floor I 5,

through the space 39 under the foraminous oor 38 and then upwardly through the foraminous floor 38 to the lading space 35. The partitions 3| are preferably provided with drip pans or otherwise waterproofed on their top surfaces. If the refrigerant used is one that becomes liquid upon absorbing heat, the liquid drips through the foraminous walls of the containers I0, flows over the partitions 3|, through the flues 3iand to the gutter I6 from where it is drained to the outside of the car.

The flue 31 shown in Fig; 2 is formed from thin metallic sheets 40 welded together and welded `to the inner frame members 25. 'Ihe flue y31, as shown, Vhas approximately the same dimension laterally of the car as the inner frame member and extends the ventire distance between the frame members25. The ue 3'! is insulated on one side by the board and on theother side by the insulation I9.

Fig. 3 shows a modification in which the ues 45 extend between an inner frame member 25 and an outer frame member The advantage cf this arrangement is that it provides an insulating blanket I9 of more uniform thickness at any point of the wall.

Structure disclosed but not claimed in this application is also disclosed in myfapplication whichbore Serial No. 213,089, which matured into Pata ent No.'2,187,290 on January 16, 1940; in my copending application No. 213,092, filed June l0, 1938, Vand in my Aco.pending .application No; 272,386, led May 8, 1939, which'is va division of said No. 213,092. y

The accompanying vdrawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not-limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art. i

I claim: Y 1. In a refrigerator car having a refrigerant chamber near the roof and adjacent one of the walls, a foraminous rack to support a lading upon the floor and provide a space therebetween, said wall comprising spaced apart vertical frame members, inner sheathing and metallic sheet both extendingk between and secured to said frame members, outer sheathing spaced from said metallic sheet `and insulation between said metal# lic sheet and outer sheathing, a portion of said sheet being spaced from said inner sheathing to form a-flue for passage of cold air, said ue com-j municating at the top and bottom thereof with said chamber and said space respectively. 2. In a refrigerator car having a refrigerant chamber near the roof and adjacent oneA of the walls, a foraminous rack to support a lading upon the floor and provide a space therebetween, said wall comprising vspaced apart vertical frame members, inner sheathing and metallic sheet both from said inner sheathing to form a flue for passage of cold air, said flue communicating at the topand bottom thereof with said chamber and said space respectively.

3. In a refrigerator car having a refrigerant chamber near the roof and adjacent one of the walls, a foraminous rack to support a lading upon the oor and provide a space therebetween, said wall comprising spaced apart vertical frame members, inner sheathing and metallic sheet both extending between and secured to said frame members, the portion of said sheet between said frame members being spaced fromsaid inner sheathing to form a flue for passage of cold air, said flue communicating at the top and bottom thereof with said chamber and said space respectively.

4. In a refrigerator car having a roof, a iioor and spaced apart walls, a forarninous rack arranged to support a lading and provide a space between the lading and the floor, one of said walls comprising sheathing and lining in spaced apart relation with insulation and substantially vertical frame members tween, some of said frame members being disposed adjacent said lining, a refrigerant container below said roof and 'adjacent said last mentioned wall, a partition spaced below the bot-y tom of said container to form a passage Vtherebetween, and a flue disposed within saidwall and between said frame members, said flue being comprised of relatively thin metallic sheets secured to the frame members disposed adjacent said lining, said flue communicating between said passage and said space. l

5. In combination with the roof, walls and oor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamber near the roof and a foraminous-rack arranged to support a lading upon said floor and provide a space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending between and secured to said frame members, and lining also extending between and secured to said-frame members inwardly of said sheet, a portion of said sheet being spaced from a ue therebetween, said ue Ycommunicating at the upper chamber and said space respectively.

6. In combination with the roof, walls and eating at the upper and lower parts thereof with said chamber and said space respectively.

7. In combination with the roof, walls and floor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamber near the roof and a foraminous rack arranged to support a lading upon said oor and provide a space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending betweenand secured to said frame members, lining also ex-` interposed therebe-A said lining to formand lower parts thereof with said between and secured between and secured to said frame meinof said sheet being spaced from said lining to form a flue therebetween, and openings above and below said lining, said flue communicating through said openings with said chamber and said space respectively.

8. In combination with the roof, walls and floor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamber near the roof and a foraminous rack arranged to support a lading upon said loor and provide a space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending between and secured to said frame members, lining also extending between and secured to said frame memu bers, a portion o said sheet being spaced from said lining to form a flue therebetween, and openings above and below said lining, said flue communicating through said openings with said tending bers, a portion chamber and said space respectively, said lining being substantially imperforate between said openings.

9. In combination with the roof, Walls and oor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamber near the roof and a foraminous rack arranged to support a lading space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending between and secured to said frame members, lining extending between and secured to said frame members inwardly of said sheet, a portion of said sheet being bulged outwardly between said frame members to form in combination with said lining a flue communicating at the upper and lower parts thereof with said chamber and said space reupon said iioor and provide a l outwardly from said said sheathing and spectively, sheathing spaced sheet, and insulation between said sheet.

10. In combination with the roof, walls and -floor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamer near the roof and a foraminous rack arranged to support a lading upon said floor and provide a space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending between and secured to said frame members, lining extending between said frame members, and means to secure said lining to said frame members independently of said sheet, a portion of said sheet being spaced from said lining to form a ue therebetween communicating at the upper l and lower parts thereof with Said chamber and said space respectively.

il. In combination with the roof, walls and floor of a refrigerator car, a refrigerant chamber near the roof and a oraminous rack arranged to support a lading upon said floor and provide a space therebetween, one of said walls comprising a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical frame members, a sheet extending between and secured to said frame members, lining extending between and secured to said frame members, and a metallic veneer interposed between said lining and said rst mentioned sheet in atwise relation with said lining, a portion of said first mentioned sheet being spaced from said veneer sheet to form a flue therebetween communicating at the upper and lower parts thereof with said chamber and said space re spectively.

VICTOR E. WEST. 

